The 2012 Second Edition of Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America acclaims: ‘…the raw food movement owes much to Dr. Aris LaTham, a native of Panama, he is considered to be the father of gourmet ethical raw foods cuisine in America. He debut his raw food creations in 1979, when he started Sunfired Foods, a live food company in Harlem, New York. In the years since he has trained thousands of raw food chefs and added innumerable recipes to his repertoire.’
Dr. Airs LaTham studied at the University of Legon in Ghana, as well as New York University, and graduated from the College of Staten Island (CUNY) with a B.A. in Education and Spanish. He also completed graduate studies at California State University Fullerton, with majors in Linguistics and Bilingual Education, where he was a polyglot scholar of Kiswahili, Sanskrit, Italian, Arabic, and Ebonics. Professor LaTham taught Spanish, Kiswahili and English as a Second Language (ESL) at the secondary school level in New York City and New Jersey. He taught at California’s College of San Mateo, Fullerton Community College, and Sullivan Language Institute, Cornell University in New York and Brown University in Rhode Island. Dr. LaTham was an administrator at the Tanganyika International School in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. He also served as a Bilingual Curriculum Writer and Second Language Specialist for the San Francisco and San Bernardino Unified School Districts in California. Dr. Aris LaTham was the keynote presenter at the 2009 International Vegan Festival in Rio de Janeiro and lectured in the School of Nutrition at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis Campus in Brazil. In 2004 Dr. LaTham was honored as a keynote presenter to the 36th World Vegetarian Congress in Florianopolis, Brazil, in 2005 at the European Vegetarian Congress in Riccione, Italy and at the 2009 International Vegan Festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Dr. LaTham was a featured presenter at the World VegFest in Dubai, UAE and Chennai, India in 2014.
Dr. Aris LaTham was born in Gatun, Panama Canal Zone. He is a direct descendant of an African-Caribbean family of Culinary Griots who has become a world-renowned crusader in the area of wholesome foods. His linguistic and culinary interests have been shared with many diverse people throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, the Caribbean and Europe. Dr. LaTham, who is self-learned in the Culinary Arts and Sciences through his private ten thousand-volume library collection, is the originator of SUNFIRED CUISINE and PARADISE PIES. SUNFIRED FOODS have been featured by Black Entertainment Television (BET), the Food Network, Temple University Medical School Forum, Organic Food Producers Association of North America, Family Channel’s ‘Body by Jake’, CNBC: Alive and Wellness, ABC: Eye Witness News, CBS News, Jamaica’s CVM TV, and TVJ’s Frontline with Ian Boyne and numerous Worldwide Television and Radio Magazines. He was an Executive Chef at Hippocrates Health Institute, West Palm Beach, Florida.
Dr. Aris LaTham, ‘The Sunfired Gourmet’, has been a vegetarian for 49 years and has eaten Sunfired Foods exclusively for the past 43 years. Dr. LaThan was voted one of the top vegetarian chefs in the USA by Vegetarian Times Magazine. He has been featured in Essence, Jamaican Eats, Vegetarian Gourmet, Health Quest, Upscale, UK’s Balance, and Japan’s Tarzan Fitness Magazines. Newspapers, including the Washington Post, Philadelphia Enquirer, Harlem’s Amsterdam News, Jamaica’s Gleaner and Observer, have reviewed the Sunfired Cuisine… Dr. LaTham was the featured chef at the Raw Food Masters Culinary Showcase at Swept Away Resort in Negril. He has served as an Executive Food Service Consultant to Island Outpost’s Strawberry Hill Resort in Irish Town and the Kingston Hilton Hotel in Jamaica. He is currently engaged in the training of vegetarian and raw food chefs for other major international resorts and hotels. ‘Sunfired Edible Arts’, education, nutrition, detox, catering, and consulting services are available through the SUNFIRED CULINARY INSTITUTE, Casco Antiguo, Panama.
SUNFIRED CUISINE delicacies have been catered to numerous celebrities and dignitaries including former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Dr. Alvenia Fulton, Ann Wigmore, Sly Dunbar, Barbara Streisand, Dennis Weaver, Dick Gregory, Dexter King, Marilyn and Harvey Diamond, Angela Bofil, Iyanla Vanzant, Viktoras Kulvinskas, Erykah Badu, Tony Rebel, Demi Moore, Mutabaruka, Rita Marley, Sam Nujoma, Prince, Betty Shabazz, Depak Chopra, Aley Sheedi, Ben Vereen, Dr. Neil Barnard, Chris Blackwell, Philip Michael Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Cicely Tyson, Lenox Lewis, Senator Alcee Hastings, Sidney Poitier, Eddie Albert, Susan Taylor, Jewel Diamond Taylor, Les Brown, Ed Asner, Gene Pearson, Alicia Silverstone, Aisha Khalil, Dave Stewart and Rushelle Farrell
Dr. Aris LaTham has been sought after to present and cater to organizations such as: The United States Congress, Agape Ministry National Medical Association Convention Wash. DC Commission of Public Health Washington Hospital Cancer Institute United Nation AIDS (UNAIDS) National Institute of Health, Green Festival Ohio Mental Health Commission Half Moon Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica The Discovery Channel, Raw Spirit Festival Panama Breast Cancer Awareness Audubon Society Earth Day Total Expo Health Canada, New Life Expo San Diego World Beat Center National Health Federation Convention Whole Life Expo, Cancer Control Society Yoga and Raw Food Expo St Lucia Wellness Day Princes Cruise Ships Barbados Organic Wellness Dominica Health and Wellness Expo Vegetarian Society of Brazil
Dr. Aris LaTham was the President, co-founder and Master Chef of Green City Market and Café in Bethesda, Maryland, and managed the Queen of Sheba Restaurant at The Bob Marley Museum. He has done extensive product development consulting for The Beverly Hills Wellness Center, Nutiva, Guest Services, Swept Away Resorts, Mother’s Market and Kitchen, Beverly Hills Juice Club and Whole Foods Markets.
